Check-row planter.



PATENTED JAN. 7, 1908.

c. c. B'UTCHBR. CHECK Row PLANTER.

PATENTED JAN. 7, 1908. 0. C. BUTGHER. l

CHECK ROW PLANTER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY3. 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. c. 1HE Nomar: Psrsas ca.. wAsmNcrnN. n

PATENTED JAN. '7, 1908.

C'. C. BUTCHER. CHECK ROW PLANTER. APPLIoATIoN FILED m1334907.

a SHEETS-SHEET s.

m m m @Y N9uf@ O wmv O, O o@ l/ we o Nmmf@ W Nh: o o Si Y O &v\

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

CHRISTOPHER C. BUTOHER, OF URBANA, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD l`OEDWARD L. RUSSELL, OF URBANA, i\l-lSSOURl.

CHECK-ROW PLANTER.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 7, 1908.

Application filed July 3,1907. Serial No. 382,085-

T o all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHRISTOPHER C. BUTCHER, citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Urbana, iii tne county ol Dallas and State ofMissouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Check-RowPlanters, of which the 'following is a specilication.

This invention appertains to agricultural i0 machinery designed fordropping seed and .has for its object to provide a planter which may sowseed in drills, or drop the same in hills and in check rows and in thelatter capacity obviate the necessity l`or the accustomed check wire orline.

The invention has for its object to devise a machine which may beadjusted to plant seed in rows in required distances apart witnincertain limits and which will embody novel means for setting the seeddropping mechanism so as to insure the transverse alinernent of therows. y

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof andalso to acquire a knowledge of the details ol' construction and themeans for e'l'lecting the result, reference is to be had to thefollowing description and accompanying drawings.

Vhile the invention may be adapted to di'tl'erent forms and conditionsby changes in the structure and minor details without departing from thespirit or essential features thereof, still the preferred embodiment isshown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a check row planter embodying tireinvention. Fig. 2 is a plan View thereof. Fig. 3 `is a longitudinalsection on the line 1J-a ol Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a transverse section onthe line z/-y ol' Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view o'lIV tnoseveral levers adapted to be operated either by hand or foot forthrowing the marker and seed dropper actuating mecuanism into and out ofgear. Fig. 6 is a vertical section on the line z-z oi Fig. 5. Fig. 7 isa detail view of a portion of the ground wheel from wiiieu power' istalzen for operating the working parts and showing a inarlrer arm insection and the tappet projection cooperating with the ratchet and.teeth ot said ground wheel. Fig. S is a transverse section ol the axleand the tube mounted thereon, showing the two connected by means ot acotter pin tor simultaneous rotation. Fig. E) is a detail j view ol aportion o'l' the main lrame, showing the pin extended lrom the iootlever and the spring cooperating therewith to hold the same in either otits extreme positions.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views ol the drawings by the samereference characters.

The trame ol" the machine may be ol'" any construction depending uponthe style and 55 linish ol the implement and according to the parts tobe supported, and. comprises longitudinal bars l, transverse bars 2 and3 and intermediate longitudinal bars 4 and 5. The axle is mounted inbearings iitted to the longitudinal bars il, and is provided with groundwheels 7 and S, the former being loose upon the axle and the latter'fast thereto. A rod or bar 9 is arranged transversely oi the machine andpasses through the liront end ol" the longitudinal bars 1, 4 and 5 andsupports. the pole or tongue 10, which is strengthened by means ot abrace 11. The pole or tongue ll) has a rear extension 12 which is curvedand toothed upon its upper 30 side and is i'ormed upon its underside atthe rear with a stop 13. A lever lll is provided at its lower end withfront and rear extensions, the latter being pivotally connected to thelongitudinal bar -l at l5 and the Vliront 85 extension having a lateralpin or stud 16 to engage under the rear extension l2 ol: the pole ortongue and hold the vlront end ol" the planter lirame at the requiredadjusted position. The stop 13 or' the rear extension l2 90 is adaptedto engage with the pin or stud 16 and prevent axial disengagement of theparts. A stop 17 projected laterally from the intermediate longitudinalbar l is adapted to engage the lront extension of the lever 14 andsupport the liront portion of the lrame at a given elevation. A dog 1Spivoted to the lroilt extension oll` the lever 14 is adapted to engagewith the teeth ot the rear extension l2 ot the pole and hold the partsin the required adjusted position, that is, with the portion ol' thetrame at the desired elevation. A hand lever 1S) pivoted to the upperportion ol the lever l-l is connected with the dog 18 to ell'ect releaseoll the same l'rom the toothed portion of the rear extension l2 whenadjusting the parts.

The hoppers 2() and 2l lor receiving the seed to be deposited may be olany construction and provided with usual seed dropping l slotted portionof the rock shaft 26.

mechanism. The left hand hopper 21 is stationary whereas the right handhopper 20 is adjustable laterally to provide for varying the distancebetween the rows of seed. The seed dropping plates are mounted to turnabout a vertical axis and are provided with pins 23 which are engaged bypawls 24 and 25 attached to a rock shaft 26. The pawl 25 is pivoted to afixed arm7 whereas the pawl 24 is carried by an arm adjustable on idlerock shaft 26 to adapt it to the position of the hopper 20. Any meansmay be adopted to provide foradjustment and securance of the armcarrying the pawl 24 in an adjusted position. As shown, the rock shaft26 has a longitudinal slot 27 in which the arm carrying the pawl 24 isadjustable and secured by means of a 23 adapted to pass through one of aseries of openings 29 formed in the The rock shaft is thrown forward bymeans of a spring 3() and is moved rearward by a tappet mechanismvpresently to be described.

A tube 31 is sleeved upon the axle 6 and is loose thereon to have freelongitudinal and rotary movement. A ratchet wheel 32 is either formedwith or fitted to the tube 31 and is provided in a side with a series ofthreaded openings 33 to receive tappet pins 34 to engage with an arm 35projected from the rock shaft 26. As the tube 31 rotates the pins 34successively engage with the arm 35 and in conjunction with the spring30 effect a rocking of said shaft 26 which in turn actuates the droppingmechanism to effect discharge of the seed from the hoppers in the mannerwell understood. A collar 36 is 1 formed with or applied to the tube 31adjacent to the ratchet wheel 32. Markers are applied to end portions ofthe tube 31 and are of similar construction, each consisting of a hub 37and arms 38, the latter terminating in heads to indent the surface ofthe ground and indicate the hills or places where the seed have beendeposited. The markers are removably fitted upon the tube 31 to admit ofadapting the machine for drilling.4 The right hand marker is adjustableto adapt it to the lateral adjustment of the right hand hopper. Themarkers are secured to the tube by means of set screws 39 which arethreaded in openings formed in the hubs 37. The number of arms of eachmarker will depend upon the size and capacity o1 the machine and thedistance apart of the hills. The ratchet wheels 32 willbe provided witha tappet pin 34 for each arm of a marker and as illustrated the ratchetwheel is supplied With three tappet pins corresponding with the threearms of each marker. Zhen the planter is adapted for sowing seed indrills and the markers are removed, the ratchet wheel 32 will besupplied with a series of tappet pins which may be disposed as closelytogether as desired according to the, distance apart of the seed to bedropped. Pins or projections 40 project from the arms of the right handmarker to cooperate with ratchet teeth- 41 of the ground Wheel 7,`

out of gear7 the hub of the lefthand marker is provided with teeth 43which are inclined upon their front sides and square upon their rearfaces. The lever 44 pivoted at 45 to the intermediate longitudinal bar 5has its rear end widened and formed with an inclined slot 46 throughwhich passes a pinor rod 47. A tooth 43 projects laterally from thelever A44 towards the teeth 43 to coperate therewith and move the tube31 to the left, thereby throwing the pins or projections 40 of the righthand marker out of the path of the ratchet teeth 41 of the ground wheel7. The coperating teeth 43 and 43 are formed with stop shoulders whichare adapted to -interlock and vprevent overthrowing of the teeth afterthe actuating mechanism has been thrown out of gear.

For adjusting the seed dropping mechanism to insure transverse alinementof the rows, the following means have been devised either for turningthe tube 31 forward or permitting the same to turn back as the machineadvances. A lever 49 is pivoted to one side of the lever 14 and has anarm 50 pivotally connected to its lower end. said arm 50 extendingrearward and provided with the pin or rod 47. A second pin or rod 51 isarranged between the ends of the arm 50 and one end thereof is adaptedto engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel 32 so as to move the tubeforward should the dropping of the seed lag or fall in the rear of thetransverse rows. A lever 52 ispivoted at 53 to the intermediatelongitudinal bar 5. Its front portion extends over the axle 6 and isarranged to come between the intermediate longitudinal bar 5 and thecollar 36 of the tube 31. The rear end of the lever 52 is provided witha rest 54 to be pressed upon by the foot when it is required to withdrawthe front portion of the lever 52 from between the collar 36 and thelongitudinal bar 5. The lever 52 is adapted to be operated either byfoot or by hand and for the latter purpose a lever 55 is mounted uponthe pivot 53 and has a shoulder 56 to extend over the said lever 52 andengage therewith and effect positive movement of the lever 52 in eitherdii moved to throw the pin 51 clear of the teeth rection, while at thesame time admitting of the two levers 52 and 55 having a limited playwhich is essential to provide for operating the lever 52 by pressure ofthe foot when it is not desired to move the lever 55. A pin 47 projectslaterally from the lever 55 and is adapted to be engaged by an arm 58projected forward from the rear transverse bar 3.

The ground wheels 7 and S are arranged to track with the seed tubes 59and their treads are made broad and hollow so as to act as coverers andcompressors for the earth. The right hand ground wheel 7 is adjustableupon the axle 6 to adapt its position to the right hand hopper and isheld in the adjusted position by means of a set collar 6() mounted uponthe axle 6. The trenches for receiving the seed are formed by openers 61which may be of any construction and arrangement eonmon in planters. Forconvenience of the operator, a seat 62 is provided at the rear of themachine, thereby enabling the weight of the operator-,or driver to beutilized for counterbalancing the machine upon the axle.

l/Vhen using the machine for drilling, the markers 38 are removed fromthe tube 31 and the latter is secured to the axle 6 to rotate therewith,as b y means of a cotter pin 63, as indicated most clearly in Fig. 8.For lubricating the tube 3l oil holes 64 are provided therein to admitof introduction of oil from the nozzle of a can or like device. To hohlthe lever 55 in the adjusted position, the pin 57 extends across the bar5 and is adapted to be engaged by means of a spring 65 secured to theupper edge of said bar 5, the pin 57 riding over said spring andengaging with one or the other end to hold the lever 55 in thererequired position. The pin 47 carried by the arm 50 has an end portionextended over the longitudinal bar 4 and its opposite end projected overthe arm` 58. A cam portion 66 formed in the upper edge of the rearportion of the bar 4 to conform to the outline of the arm 58, and theparts 66 and 58 engage with and support the pin 47 and the arm 50,thereby preventing the pin 51 from engaging with the teeth of theratchet wheel 33, thereby permitting the latter to turn backward.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. In a planter the combination oll seed dropping mechanism including aratchet wheel, a marker for indicating the hills and rotatable with thesaid ratchet wheel, a lever 50 having pin 51 adapted to cooperate withthe teeth ofthe aforementioned ratchet wheel, a pin 47 carried by said.lever 50 and projecting from opposite sides thereof, and means forsupporting opposite ends of the pin 47 to prevent the end of the lever50 carrying the pin 51 from dropping when the said lever 5() is of theratchet wheel.

2. In a planter, the combination of a seed dropping mechanism, a groundwheel, a tube having an independent rotary and longitudi nal movement, aratchet mechanism between said ground wheel and tube, connecting meansbetween the tube and seed dropping mechanism, an operating lever, andcoperating wedge shaped teeth between the said lever and tube to throwthe latter out of ac tion.

3. In a planter, the combination of a seed dropping mechanism, a groundwheel, a tube having an independent rotary and longitudinal movement, aratchet mechanism between said ground wheel and tube, connecting meansbetween the tube and seed dropping mechanism, an operating lever, andcoperating wedge shaped teeth between the said lever and tube to throwthe latter out o'f action, said wedge shaped teeth provided withinterlocking stop shoulders to prevent overthrowing of the teeth whenthe tube is thrown out of gear.

4. in a planter, the combination of seed dropping mechanism, a groundwheel, a rotary driver, a ratchet connection between said rotary driverand ground wheel, connecting means between the rotary driver and theseed dropping mechanism, a lever 44, cooperating wedge elements betweenthe lever 44 and rotary driver to throw the latter out of gear, anoperating lever 55, and a connec tion 57 between the levers 55 and 44.

5. In a planter, the combination of a seed dropping mechanism, a groundwheel, arotary driver, a ratchet connection between the rotary driverand ground wheel, a collar 36 forming a part of said rotary driver, alever 52, a lever 55 pivoted to the lever 52 and .having a limited playto admit of independent movement of the levers 55 and 52 within eertainlimits, a lever 44, connecting means between the levers 55 and 44, andmeans earried by the levers 44 to throw the said rotary driver out ofgear.

6. In combination, a seed dropping mechanism, a ground wheel, a rotarydriver adapted to operate the seed dropping mechanism, a ratchetconnection between the rotary driver and ground wheel, a ratchet wheel33 fast to the rotary driver, an arm 5l) having a lateral extension toengage with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 32S, a stop 47 projectedlaterally from the arm 50, means coperating with said stop to supportthe arm 50, and actuating means for the arm 5t).

in testimony whereof .l allix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

eiuils'reriliiii c. aurelien. [1.. s]

Vtnesses:

JUnsoN MAiiAwicY, JOHN E. Snoniuaiinn.

